Newbie with a Mountain to Climb

Well here I am ... a 48 year old Grandmother with a loooong history of diets behind me and some real issues with using food as a comfort and to combat anxiety

In the past I've always dieted on my own and done some quite extreme low calorie 'plans' (ie 800 calories a day or less ). I lost weight of course but it just wasn't sustainable long term so the weight crept back on and added some more just for luck.

I joined SW three weeks ago weighing in at 21 stone 2lbs which is the heaviest that I have ever been and so far I've lost 15lb. I'm really enjoying the flexibility of EE (though not enjoying all the vegetable chopping quite so much!) and I am determined to make this a change for life!

I'm not missing the processed and high fat foods that I was eating nearly as much as I expected to, but I do have days when the sheer size of the mountain I have to climb feels very overwhelming and I get a bit down even though my losses so far have been fine. I guess I'm just scared that once the initial few weeks are over that I won't lose any more ... which in turn makes me want to restrict my calorie intake, which I know will then lead me to fall off the wagon - Aaaaarrrrggghhh.

I REALLY need to stop thinking so much!

Hello Molly

Firstly well done for signing up to SW and deciding to change your life. That's the first part of the mountain climbed in itself! Also well done for your loss so far - 15lb in just 3 weeks is amazing. Congratulations!! Don't worry about not losing in the future - as long as you stick to plan then the losses will come. You're doing fantastically well so far.

It definitely helps keeping a food diary on here as a way of tracking your eats. You'll find all sorts of lovely people will come along offering support and advice - Minimin's is such a fantastic support network!

Hope you are having a great SW day today x

Hi Molly, welcome to minimins and Slimming World.

As Princess Stevie says, put your food diary on here every day. Not just basics but what you have for healthy extras, listing any syns that you have with the quantities. If anything doesn`t look right someone on here will always point it outto help you.

I have struggled, not because of SW but because I want to eat then eat the wrong things. So on my thread I put absolutely everything down no matter what. I kinda use it as a way of admitting to myself what I am eating.

Good luck on your journey.

Doreen x

Wow! ... thank you both so much for welcoming me - and so quickly too xx

A food diary on here sounds much better than writing it all down manually and I'll get a more immediate feedback if I'm doing something wrong (and then I can just copy/paste and print for group). Thanks for the suggestion xx

I always have 350ml skimmed milk for my HEa and always 35g basic porridge oats for my HEb

Today so far:

Tea with s/milk
Black Coffee
Water
Diet Coke

Porridge with 2 Sweetex and 1 sliced banana
Bag Watercress, 5 Cherry Tomatos, Cucumber, Celery, Green Pepper
Basic Cod in Parsley Sauce (3 Syns)

1 Apple
1 Tangerine

It's shopping night tonight so I've done my meal plans for the next week and today is kind of about using up what I had left in the fridge lol ... tonight I have a vegetable and turkey mince bolognese that I made and froze into portions last week.

Love it - no wonder you're doing so well, look how organised and prepared you are! Weekly meal plans and batch cooking are definitely great ways to make sure you stay on track. Well done you x

15lbs in 3 weeks?! Jealous. Only lost 5 1/2 in two. What's your secret??

I'm doing EE but I'm thinking of going back to R/G days.


- Jebbie x

Jebbie said:

15lbs in 3 weeks?! Jealous. Only lost 5 1/2 in two. What's your secret??

I'm doing EE but I'm thinking of going back to R/G days.


- Jebbie x

Click to expand...

What's this "only" business. 5.5lb is a great loss and you should be proud of yourself. It's a marathon, not a sprint - don't compare your journey to others'. You're doing great, keep it up x

Oh, the first week I was a tearful mess when I came to do the shopping and I got myself into such a state of anxiety that I wasn't going to go through it again! lol Meal plans are the only way to avoid the headless chicken effect

I don't always stick to meal plans - sometimes I'll improvise or substitute a recipe I've come across and I don't tend to have batch cooking sessions which I really should do ... it's more a case of cook a meal for 4 and freeze 3 portions but at least that way it doesn't sit in the freezer for ages I guess

Jebbie said:

15lbs in 3 weeks?! Jealous. Only lost 5 1/2 in two. What's your secret??

I'm doing EE but I'm thinking of going back to R/G days.


- Jebbie x

Click to expand...

I lost half of that in my first week though, so it was mainly water - this weeks loss was 3lb and I'm fully expecting it to drop again this week and to average out at (hopefully) 2lb a week for now and 1lb a week as I get smaller.

5 1/2 in 2 weeks is good!! It's a nice steady loss which is more likely to stay off and less likely to affect your skin I know what you mean though ... we all know that slow and steady wins the race but sometimes it feels like building a sandcastle 1 grain of sand at a time ;-) xx

I build a sandcastle Molly then someone comes along and knocks the top off.

Just a suggestion for superfree at breakfast if you have no banana, have you thought about putting some fruit in the porridge. The frozen berries are very nice. Just for a change. Mind you I don`t change my breakfast much, always eggs.

Keep going, your looking great. x

Hello, I'm also a newbie...day 5 for me, goin well so far. Roll on weigh day

Your doin great, 15 pounds is amazing xx

Thanks for the frozen fruit suggestion Doreen ... I do my breakfast once I get to work so a banana seemed affordable (as opposed to fresh soft fruits and berries at this time of year) but you've made me think outside the box If I buy frozen and pop them into the freezer compartment of the work fridge that would make a lovely change. Have added them to the shopping list

I'm a bit funny with eggs ... hard boiled are usually OK but fried/scrambled/poached etc they often make me sick. Even an omelet is a bit like Russian roulette :/

RaeRae my wi day is Monday, so I'm at that lovely "got the whole week in front of me" stage Good luck for Thursday xx

Hi mollymolly.. im just like you i eat my emotions.. I eat when im sad, angry, happy ect ect.. We're all in the same boat on here and everyone is really really nice .. Me and some of the other members are having a competition.. only abit of fun its called christmas countdown and first one to lose 2 stone before christmas wins.. If you fancy it heres the link http://www.minimins.com/slimming-wo...e-join-2st-christmas-challenge-xxtannyxx.html

Thank you Ghostie I'll pop over there now xx

Today so far:

Tea with s/milk
Black Coffee
Water
Diet Coke

Porridge with 2 Sweetex and 1 sliced banana
Mixed Baby Leaf Salad, 5 Cherry Tomatos, Cucumber, Celery, Green Pepper, Grated raw Beetroot
Small tin Pilchards in Tomato Sauce

Dressing made from fat Free natural yoghurt and 1/4 teaspoon low fat red Thai curry paste (1syn)

1 Apple


Tonight I have a visitor coming who is - thankfully - on a healthy eating kick, so I'm introducing him to the delights of Diet Coke Chicken (crammed with onions, leeks, courgette, french green beans, baby corn, all 3 colours of pepper and mushrooms) served with wholegrain brown rice. Two plated meals and 3 for the freezer - Yay!

I've also been given a big bag of raw beetroot today - organically grown and freshly dug from a friend's allotment - so I'm going to make beetroot and carrot soup too and freeze that for easy weekend lunches

Wow Molly, you superfree is sooo good. Lovely menu.

My brother told me to get some beetroot an grate in on salad, is it ok. I do have grated carrot when I have a salad. Also like the sound of beetroot & carrot soup. What quantities approx do you use. I guess it must be nice or you wouldn`t make it.

Diet coke chicken lovely, have you tried diet Fanta or diet orange chicken?

Gonna watch your food with interest. Keep going. x

Fortunately I do love veggies (and one pot meals lol) so most of the time I just throw whatever veg comes to hand in anything I make - in large quantities It bulks it out but doesn't feel like I'm sitting down to a plateful of vegetables. Grated raw beetroot is lovely... it's got a really nice crunch to it and takes a bit more chewing than most salad veg so it's nice and filling.

I've not tried fanta chicken yet but I'm planning on experimenting with diet fanta and pork tomorrow - with some grated ginger, vinegar, soy sauce and chinese 5 spice it will hopefully make a nice, quick and easy, sweet & sour

The soup recipe is:

4 chopped carrots (I don't bother peeling them)
400g chopped and peeled fresh beetroot (no need to cook it first)
3 peeled and 'squished' garlic cloves (I just squash them under a big knife rather than properly crushing them)
4 trimmed and sliced leeks
1.2 litres vegetable stock
1 bay leaf

Salt & Pepper
75g Quark

Place the veg, stock and bay leaf in a large saucepan, cover and cook for about 45 minutes or until veg is completely cooked. Remove bayleaf and whizz in a food processor (or in saucepan with a stick blender) until smooth. Transfer back to saucepan, add quark, stir well and season to taste

Today so far:

Tea with s/milk
Black Coffee
Water
Diet Coke

Porridge with 2 Sweetex and 1 sliced banana

Lunch:
Crisp Leaf Salad, Grated Beetroot 5 Cherry Tomatos, Cucumber, Celery, Red Pepper, Spring Onion
1/4 tub Quark
2 thin (but not wafer thin) slices cooked turkey
Dressing of Fat Free Natural Yoghurt with 1/4 tsp Red Thai curry paste (1 Syn)

1 Apple
1 Tangerine

Dinner tonight is my absolute favourite - Quick Vegetable and Kipper Risotto:
Courgettes, Grated Carrot, Onions, Green Red and Yellow Peppers, French Beans, Baby Corn, one head of Broccoli, one Fish Stock Pot, 1 pack Tilda Wholegrain Brown Rice, one tinned Kipper (1 1/2 syns)

One portion for me, two for the freezer

Today so far:

Tea with s/milk
Black Coffee
Water
Diet Coke

Porridge with 2 Sweetex and 1 sliced banana

Lunch:
Crisp Leaf Salad, 5 Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumber, Celery, Red and Green Pepper, Spring Onion
3 thin (but not wafer thin) slices cooked turkey (total portion about the size of a standard pack of cards)
Dressing of Fat Free Natural Yoghurt with 1/4 tsp Kashmir curry paste (1 Syn)

1 Tangerine

Tonight I'm trying Diet Fanta Pork which I'm going to (hopefully) make into Sweet & Sour. 2 Lean Pork Steaks, onions, red, green and yellow peppers, mushrooms, courgettes, baby corn, 2 large carrots, French green beans, grated fresh ginger, passata, diet Fanta, soy sauce, Chinese 5 spice, vinegar, salt, pepper. Served on egg noodles - fresh, so (4 Syns).

One serving for me and two for the freezer (which I really must clear out this weekend to make more room for my meals!).

Hi Mollymolly ,
and a big welcome!

Your weight loss so far is totally fab! really well done.

Also, I spotted that you have all the veg chopping. Me too!
I try and do it as little as possible, just prepare and shove in the oven or in the pot. Veg is much easier to cut when cooked and that's what knives an forks are for! (oh the shame!)
Just keep it to a minimum.

When is your weigh in day?

Good luck this week. Have the best SW week ever!

Kate x